Friday, August 20, 2021

In Memoriam

 


Lucky Okafor

“The web of our life is

of a mingled yarn,

good and ill together.”

– William Shakespeare in All’s Well That Ends Well.

 

And our own prominent transporter, Edwin Nwaiye, says:

“Uke emene onye,

O ga dua.”

 

In June of 2019, the Afam Family of Umuikpulu lost the one who proved true to his name – Alexander (a Greek name meaning benefactor)!  Yes, Onyebaolonwanne Alexander Nkennor-Monye.  Now, fast forward to June 2021.

 

On Sunday, 13 June 2021, the Afams lost the handsome and dashing Chukwuma Awunzie, an Abuja-based pastor, to the cold hands of sudden death in the prime of his life!

 

Barely two weeks after Chukwuma Awunzie, and while still in the month of June, someone was jolted with the sad news of a fatal auto-crash which claimed the life of Lucky Okafor, a pastor of The Apostolic Faith Church in Otolokpo.  The late Lucky Okafor, though of Umunofo, was of the Afam tree branch of Monye – through his grandfather!  We, of the Afam tree, therefore mourn Lucky Okafor.

 

Our consolation is that those three late brothers of ours left offspring – good enough to carry on aloft the banner and light of Afam.  We thank God for this.

 

And may we draw the necessary lessons from the above quote of Williams Shakespeare and also the saying of Edwin Nwaiye.

 

Ebon Afam of Umuikpulu

25 June 2021

***

 

Vincent Uyanwanne (July 9, 1962 – August 16, 2021)

The sad news hit me like a thunderbolt at midday on Monday, August 16. And it was a phone call announcing that Vincent Uyanwanne died in the morning of that day! Upon enquiry, I was informed that he had an excruciating stomach upset all night the previous Sunday till the morning of that Monday.

 

I suppressed what would have been my emotional outburst but my fleeting thoughts presented a panoramic view of how Vin, as I fondly called him, used to speak so logically and convincingly in all deliberations at our Owerre-Olubor monthly meetings in Lagos.  I sighed and asked myself, “So, that eloquent nwa Olubor is gone forever?”

 

No amount of tears, no amount of grieving, and even no number of entreaties to the Almighty Creator could bring him back from that place of no return.  It had become too late!  And the loss is heavily more to our beloved hamlet Owerre-Olubor than to Vin’s family!  It is extremely sad, even revolting that the cream of Owerre-Olubor is so steadily wearing off and being washed away.  Our leading lights are being extinguished so very often.  Well, as they say, “God sees and he knows ….”

 

Then my fleeting thoughts led me to some observable coincidences, as I still remember that the late Vincent Onyemaibi of Idumu-Etiti died in August - precisely, on Sunday the 5th of August 2018.  And now, his namesake, Vincent Uyanwanne of Umu-Agboma, died also in AugustMonday the 16th of August 2021.  The latter being only a few hours after Sunday.

 

The second observable coincidence is that the late Vincent Onyemaibi's wife is the elder sister of Vincent Uyanwanne's wife.  And the third, but saddening, coincidence is their sudden and mysterious demises – both reported to be “hale and hearty a moment ago ….” 

 

The two men are Vincent by name and they both died in the month of August and their respective wives are siblings and their deaths mysterious.  I am still awestricken – no, not in a cheerful manner!

 

Be that as it may, O, how I pray that Yahweh would console our hometown Owerre-Olubor with more men like the meticulous Vincent Onyemaibi, and our Cicero – the eloquent Vincent Uyanwanne!

 

 

Frank Monye

Umuikpulu, Owerre-Olubor

August 19, 2021

 

 

 

Monday, November 25, 2019

Okafor Mokwunye, the Ogwude of Owerre-Olubor


Okafor Mokwunye becomes
the Ogwude

Ada Nkakaakpa performing the invocation for installing the Ogwude
Okafor, the son of Mokwunye, the son of Ugbe!  His wiry and diminutive build should not be mistaken for smallness and inconsequence when it comes to the customs and traditions of Owerre-Olubor.  He is not at all a dwarf in these regards; rather, he is a giant of robust intellect about the ancient lore of the land.

Looking at his trajectory, it would appear that providence has preserved him for the Ogwudeship despite his foibles and his many disputations in the Umuikpulu milieu.

Born about a century ago, Okafor Mokwunye has witnessed many crests and troughs in the undulating wave of events in the land of his birth.  He could be described as a thorough-bred denizen – having lived all his life in Owerre, the land of his nativity.

Okafor Mokwunye of Umuikpulu will go into history as the second Ikpulu, after Ndudi Smart Monye, to take the coveted stool of the Ogwude of Owerre-Olubor.  This is coming right on the heels of Ndudi Smart Monye’s regal authority over the land.  Ndudi Smart had fought to the finish the fight to assert and establish the right of Umuikpulu to the Ogwudeship despite the intrigues of twisters of the Ogwudeship history.

The Bible says that by the mouths of two witnesses, the truth shall be established.  O, yes!  We can similarly say that by the advents of two Ikpulu sons as Ogwude, the truth is already established that Umuikpulu Quarters have the incontrovertible right to the Ogwudeship of Owerre-Olubor.  The matter is signed, sealed and delivered!
Umu-ada joyfully dancing as they herald the arrival of Ada Nkakaakpa

Today, Okafor Mokwunye relishes the glory of that diadem, which had been won by the immediate past Ogwude Ndudi Smart Monye of Umuikpulu extraction.  May Ogwude Okafor Mokwunye’s reign be long!

Umuikpulu: 23 November 2019

Monday, July 8, 2019

The Ingrate

If it were possible, ungrateful humans will definitely punish the Almighty Creator for giving all good things to mankind. I have now reached the conclusion that doing good without discretion is like fixing gold ring on the snout of a pig - which the desperately wicked people are! They are ingrates and they ought to die as street rats.

Thursday, June 6, 2019

Onyebaoronwanne!


Alexander the Great

The news came to me like thunder when I was roused from sleep by a phone call from Mr Benjamin Ebaju on Sunday morning, June 2, 2019.  It was the heartbreaking news that Onyebaoronwanne Alexander Nkennor nwa Monye had died after a strange illness in Canada.  Straightaway, I called his younger sister, Vote, who confirmed that her elder brother had died the previous day, June 1.  I commiserated, almost in tears myself.

Alex’s life course was evocative of the life of Alexander of the royal house of Philip of Macedonia.  Alexander the son of Philip had risen to glory at the youthful age of 30 years when he conquered territories and overthrew the vast Medo-Persian world empire, thus forming the Grecian (or Greek) Empire in its place.  That youthful Emperor is still remembered as “Alexander the Great” about 2,300 years after his demise in the prime of life.

The Greek name Alexander means “a helper of men” (or a benefactor) – and which our own Onyebaoronwanne Alexander Nkennor nwa Monye was!  All eyewitnesses to his munificence, before it was truncated mysteriously, can bear me out.  And then having wrecked him, they set a date for his demise and executed him!  Yes!  On Saturday, 1st June 2019, the evil ones who have been plundering the cream of Afam Descendants repeated their accustomed wickedness! 

The stupor caused by this painful loss of Onyebaoronwanne is still with me and I am still heaving sighs as I write this. God dey!  Chukwu di fu !  Jehovah sees!  The Great Avenger knows how to avenge!  Those with bright prospects among the Afams ought now to guard themselves by worming into the heart of Jehovah – the ultimate refuge and protector. (Ps 50:15, Pro 18:10, Ps 18:2, 91:1-2)

Okolo obia, Alex!
Nwoke oma, Alex!
Ome ogor, Alex!

Your kind deeds are following after you,
Becoming Jehovah’s blessings upon the household after you,
And blessed shall your children be, after you!

Rest well at last, Onyebaoronwanne Alexander Nkennor nwa Monye!
The greats were your ancestors – Afam and, after him, Monye!


 Frank Monye
Lagos: Monday, 3 June 2019